# Jefferson County, Georgia

Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,709. The county seat and largest city is Louisville. The county was created on February 20, 1796, and named for Thomas Jefferson, the main author of the Declaration of Independence who became the third president of the United States.

## Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 530 square miles (1,400 km$^2$), of which 526 square miles (1,360 km$^2$) is land and 3.2 square miles (8.3 km$^2$) (0.6%) is water.
The small northern portion of Jefferson County, defined by a line running from Stapleton southeast and just south of State Route 80, is located in the Brier Creek sub-basin of the Savannah River basin. The entire rest of the county is located in the Upper Ogeechee River sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin.

### Major highways

* US 1 / SR 4
** US 1 Bus. (Wadley)
** US 1 Bus. (Louisville)
* US 221
* US 319
* SR 17
* SR 24
* SR 47
* SR 78
* SR 80
* SR 88
* SR 101
* SR 171
* SR 242
* SR 296
* SR 540 (Fall Line Freeway)

### Adjacent counties

* McDuffie County - north
* Richmond County - northeast
* Burke County - east
* Emanuel County - south
* Johnson County - southwest
* Glascock County - northwest
* Washington County - west
* Warren County - northwest

## Communities
### Cities

* Avera
* Louisville (county seat)
* Stapleton
* Wadley
* Wrens

### Towns

* Bartow

### Census-designated place

* Matthews

## Demographics

Jefferson County, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race. :
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000 | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
| White alone (NH) | 7,215 | 7,015 | 6,834 | 41.79% | 41.44% | 43.50% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 9,663 | 9,187 | 7,970 | 55.97% | 54.26% | 50.74% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 21 | 18 | 21 | 0.12% | 0.11% | 0.13% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 27 | 64 | 70 | 0.16% | 0.38% | 0.45% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.00% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 16 | 13 | 25 | 0.09% | 0.08% | 0.16% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 64 | 114 | 327 | 0.37% | 0.67% | 2.08% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 259 | 517 | 462 | 1.50% | 3.05% | 2.94% |
| Total | 17,266 | 16,930 | 15,709 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 15,709 people, 5,664 households, and 3,598 families residing in the county.

## Politics

Jefferson County leans Democratic in presidential elections; it voted for Democrats in every presidential election from 1992 to 2020. In 2024, Donald Trump became the first Republican since George H. W. Bush in 1988 to carry the county. It is now a Democratic-leaning swing county.
United States presidential election results for Jefferson County, Georgia :
| Year | Republican | Republican | Democratic | Democratic | Third party(ies) | Third party(ies) |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
| 2024 | 3,765 | 50.24% | 3,674 | 49.03% | 55 | 0.73% |
| 2020 | 3,537 | 46.30% | 4,058 | 53.12% | 44 | 0.58% |
| 2016 | 3,063 | 43.91% | 3,821 | 54.77% | 92 | 1.32% |
| 2012 | 2,999 | 41.08% | 4,261 | 58.36% | 41 | 0.56% |
| 2008 | 3,061 | 42.31% | 4,149 | 57.35% | 25 | 0.35% |
| 2004 | 3,066 | 46.89% | 3,447 | 52.71% | 26 | 0.40% |
| 2000 | 2,559 | 45.98% | 2,973 | 53.41% | 34 | 0.61% |
| 1996 | 2,077 | 35.86% | 3,404 | 58.77% | 311 | 5.37% |
| 1992 | 2,077 | 34.68% | 3,220 | 53.77% | 692 | 11.55% |
| 1988 | 2,788 | 54.13% | 2,346 | 45.54% | 17 | 0.33% |
| 1984 | 2,999 | 51.57% | 2,816 | 48.43% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 1,605 | 32.24% | 3,305 | 66.39% | 68 | 1.37% |
| 1976 | 1,309 | 29.59% | 3,115 | 70.41% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1972 | 2,777 | 70.11% | 1,184 | 29.89% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 1,227 | 23.51% | 1,901 | 36.43% | 2,090 | 40.05% |
| 1964 | 2,950 | 70.15% | 1,253 | 29.80% | 2 | 0.05% |
| 1960 | 986 | 43.71% | 1,270 | 56.29% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 512 | 27.48% | 1,351 | 72.52% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 744 | 33.51% | 1,476 | 66.49% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 137 | 7.98% | 544 | 31.70% | 1,035 | 60.31% |
| 1944 | 274 | 20.80% | 1,043 | 79.20% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 171 | 13.72% | 1,068 | 85.71% | 7 | 0.56% |
| 1936 | 168 | 11.85% | 1,238 | 87.31% | 12 | 0.85% |
| 1932 | 65 | 4.23% | 1,454 | 94.66% | 17 | 1.11% |
| 1928 | 1,057 | 56.98% | 798 | 43.02% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 103 | 15.10% | 502 | 73.61% | 77 | 11.29% |
| 1920 | 82 | 8.92% | 837 | 91.08% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1916 | 63 | 7.91% | 588 | 73.87% | 145 | 18.22% |
| 1912 | 45 | 3.31% | 899 | 66.15% | 415 | 30.54% |